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en-usCopyright 2018 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); All rights reserved.Thu, 22 Feb 2018 01:18:01 ESTEurekAlert!EurekAlert! - Chemistry, Physics and Materials Scienceshttp://www.eurekalert.org/images/logo.gifhttp://www.eurekalert.org
The premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.60webmaster@eurekalert.org (EurekAlert!)The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology and Wiley announce publishing partners(<i>Wiley</i>) John Wiley and Sons Inc. (NYSE:JWA) (NYSE:JWB), in partnership with the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), is pleased to announce a new peer-reviewed, open access journal, FASEB BioAdvances.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/w-tfo022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/w-tfo022118.phpThe 17th Annual Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences awarded for elucidating the mechanism of nonsense(<i>Wiley</i>) The Wiley Foundation today announced the 17th annual Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences will be awarded to Lynne E. Maquat for elucidating the mechanism of nonsense-mediated messenger RNA decay, a fundamental process whereby cells remove defective transcripts that can encode toxic proteins.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/w-t1a022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/w-t1a022118.phpCarbon monoxide improves effectiveness of antibiotic that fights stomach infection, study finds(<i>Georgia State University</i>) Carbon monoxide can improve the effectiveness of antibiotics, making bacteria more sensitive to antibiotic medication, according to a study led by Georgia State University.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/gsu-cmi022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/gsu-cmi022118.phpReinventing the inductor(<i>University of California - Santa Barbara</i>) A basic building block of modern technology, inductors are everywhere: cellphones, laptops, radios, televisions, cars. And surprisingly, they are essentially the same today as in 1831, when they were first created by English scientist Michael Faraday.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/uoc--rti022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/uoc--rti022118.phpNew glaucoma drugs yield large, lasting reductions in intraocular pressure(<i>Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News</i>) Two novel ocular hypotensive agents that have just been approved for use in humans -- netarsudil and latanoprostene bunod (LBN) -- greatly reduce intraocular pressure, with lasting results in various animal models of glaucoma and in humans.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/mali-ngd022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/mali-ngd022118.phpFragile X syndrome neurons restored using CRISPR/Cas9-guided activation strategy(<i>Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research</i>) Fragile X syndrome is the most frequent cause of intellectual disability in males, affecting 1 out of 3600 boys born. For the first time, researchers at Whitehead Institute have restored activity to the fragile X syndrome gene in affected neurons using a modified CRISPR/Cas9 system that removes the methylation--the molecular tags that keep the mutant gene shut off--suggesting that this method may be useful for targeting diseases caused by abnormal methylation.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/wifb-fxs021418.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/wifb-fxs021418.php'Memtransistor' brings world closer to brain-like computing(<i>Northwestern University</i>) Combined memristor and transistor operates like a neuron by performing both information processing and memory storage functions.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/nu-bw022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/nu-bw022118.phpUTA researcher to develop nanomaterials to treat antibiotic-resistant infections(<i>University of Texas at Arlington</i>) A researcher at The University of Texas at Arlington has been awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development, or CAREER, grant to develop new synthetic antimicrobial nanomaterials to treat antibiotic-resistant infections in hospitals and military facilities.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/uota-urt022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/uota-urt022118.phpSnake-inspired robot uses kirigami to move(<i>Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences</i>) Harvard researchers developed a soft robot inspired by snakeskin that crawls without any rigid components. The soft robotic scales are made using kirigami -- an ancient Japanese paper craft that relies on cuts, rather than origami folds, to change the properties of a material. As the robot stretches, the flat kirigami surface is transformed into a 3-D-textured surface, which grips the ground just like snakeskin.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/hjap-sru022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/hjap-sru022118.phpBest and brightest: ONR, 2018 Young Investigator Program(<i>Office of Naval Research</i>) The Office of Naval Research (ONR) today announced awards of $16 million through its 2018 Young Investigator Program (YIP). The awards were made to 31 scientists whose research holds strong promise across a wide range of naval-relevant science and technology areas.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/oonr-bab022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/oonr-bab022118.phpOne thing leads to another: Causal chains link health, development, and conservation(<i>American Institute of Biological Sciences</i>) The linkages between environmental health and human well-being are complex, and recent scholarship has developed a number of models for describing them. Unfortunately, these efforts have been constrained by varying practices and a lack of agreement among practitioners on consistent practices. Jiangxiao Qiu, an Assistant Professor in Landscape Ecology at the University of Florida, and his colleagues propose an alternative approach to understanding the interplay of social and ecological spheres: causal chains.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/aiob-otl022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/aiob-otl022118.phpResearchers uncover novel mechanism behind schizophrenia(<i>Case Western Reserve University</i>) An international team of researchers led by a Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine scientist has uncovered a novel mechanism in which a protein--neuregulin 3--controls how key neurotransmitters are released in the brain during schizophrenia. The protein is elevated in people with schizophrenia and other severe mental illnesses, but the study is the first to investigate how it causes such severe mental illness.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/cwru-run022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/cwru-run022118.phpGW researcher awarded more than $1.5 million to study PTSD and cardiovascular disease(<i>George Washington University</i>) Paul Marvar, PhD, at GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, received a large grant from the NIH to study a possible link between post-traumatic stress disorder and cardiovascular disease.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/gwu-gra022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/gwu-gra022118.phpComputer scientists and materials researchers collaborate to optimize steel classification(<i>Saarland University</i>) Steel is used to build cars, wind turbines and bridges and there are currently about 5000 different types of steel available on the market. But how can steel producers guarantee that a particular steel will always exhibit the same high quality? Up until now experienced experts analysed material samples under the microscope and carefully compared the results against reference images. But classifying materials in this way is not free from errors.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/su-csa022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/su-csa022118.phpAnimal study shows how to retrain the immune system to ease food allergies(<i>Duke University Medical Center</i>) Treating food allergies might be a simple matter of teaching the immune system a new trick, researchers at Duke Health have found. In a study using mice bred to have peanut allergies, the Duke researchers were able to reprogram the animals' immune systems using a nanoparticle delivery of molecules to the lymph nodes that switched off the life-threatening reactions to peanut exposures.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/dumc-ass022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/dumc-ass022118.phpUT Dallas team's microscopic solution may save researchers big time(<i>University of Texas at Dallas</i>) A University of Texas at Dallas graduate student, his advisor and industry collaborators believe they have addressed a long-standing problem troubling scientists and engineers for more than 35 years: How to prevent the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope from crashing into the surface of a material during imaging or lithographyhttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/uota-udt022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/uota-udt022118.phpZika virus could help combat brain cancer(<i>Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo</i>) Study by Brazilian researchers shows infection by Zika caused death of cells from glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive kind of malignant brain tumor in adults. Scientists foresee the use of genetic engineering to neutralize Zika virus' infectious whilst preserving the viral particles which induce the death of tumoral cells.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/fda-zvc022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/fda-zvc022118.php$1.8m from DOE supports innovative waste heat recovery system(<i>Colorado State University</i>) The US Department of Energy recently identified waste heat recovery from ultra-low temperature sources as an area of focus in their Quadrennial Technology Review. They recently awarded Colorado State University's Todd Bandhauer $1.8 million for his project to develop a commercially viable turbo-compression cooling system for ultra-low temperature waste heat recovery.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/csu-fd022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/csu-fd022118.phpRecruiting the immune system to prevent relapse(<i>American Chemical Society</i>) Substance abuse, particularly opioid abuse, is an ongoing issue in the US. While treatments such as drug counseling and a handful of medications to combat withdrawal symptoms and cravings exist, the fear and risk of relapsing is real. An article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, describes how vaccines targeting drugs of abuse could prevent relapse.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/acs-rti022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/acs-rti022118.phpOrigami mysteries could be unfolded in engineering research(<i>Clemson University</i>) Suyi Li, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, says the possibilities for origami are many and could include floor pads that protect babies from falls and building foundations that absorb vibrations in earthquakes.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/cu-omc022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/cu-omc022118.phpResearchers bring high res magnetic resonance imaging to nanometer scale(<i>University of Waterloo</i>) A new technique that brings magnetic resonance imaging to the nanometer scale with unprecedented resolution will open the door for major advances in understanding new materials, virus particles and proteins that cause diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/uow-rbh022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/uow-rbh022118.phpAn improved anti-addiction medication(<i>American Chemical Society</i>) Drug addiction continues to plague vast numbers of people across the world, destroying and ending lives, while attempts to develop more effective pharmaceutical addiction treatments continue. Scientists now report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society the development of a potent new medicine to fight addiction, which might also be an effective treatment for epilepsy and other conditions.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/acs-aia022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/acs-aia022118.phpVTT and Neonelektro have made LED advertising boards light, flexible and energy-efficient(<i>VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland</i>) Through a European project, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Neonelektro have developed new types of LED displays that combine the flexibility, low cost and high technical performance enabled by roll-to-roll mass manufacturing technology.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/vtrc-van022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/vtrc-van022118.phpFrom compost to composites: An eco-friendly way to improve rubber (video)(<i>American Chemical Society</i>) The concept of "from trash to treasure" holds true for the world of composting, where food waste is recycled into fertilizer for gardens. But what if compost could go beyond fertilizer? Now, one group reports in ACS Omega that by collecting the gases produced during the compost process, they can combine it with rubber to make optimized electronic sealants and sensors.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/acs-fct022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/acs-fct022118.phpNew interaction mechanism of proteins discovered(<i>University of Zurich</i>) UZH researchers have discovered a previously unknown way in which proteins interact with one another and cells organize themselves. This new mechanism involves two fully unstructured proteins forming an ultra-high-affinity complex due to their opposite net charge. Proteins usually bind one another as a result of perfectly matching shapes in their three-dimensional structures.https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/uoz-nim022118.php
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:00:00 ESThttps://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/uoz-nim022118.php